We are always looking for foster carers and kinship carers in Perth, Northern NSW, and QLD.
Generalist Foster Care
Offering placements and support for children and young people in out-of-home care.
Intensive / Specialised Foster Care
Offering placements and intensive support for children and young people in out-of-home care who require therapeutic support for complex and extreme levels of need. This may include challenging behaviours and or disabilities.
Therapeutic Residential
Out-of-home care option for children and young people with multiple and complex needs, aimed at actively facilitating healing and recovery from the effects of abuse, neglect and separation from family. This is done in a group home environment overseen by Foundations Care staff.
Care and Placement Explained
There are five different types of foster care placements, each requiring different levels of care depending on the individual needs of the child. Carers may register for one type or all five, depending on their capacity to care.
Kinship Care
Kinship care is provided by a person who is a relative, considered to be family or a close friend, or is a member of the child or young person’s community. Kinship carers can assist children and young people to maintain connections with their family. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, a kinship carer may be another Indigenous person who is a member of their community, a compatible community or from the same language group.
Short Term Placement
Short-term carers are full-time foster and kinship carers who provide ongoing, day-to-day care for children for up to two years, where the Department is working towards reunifying the child with their family. Being a short-term carer means actively working with the child, Shared Care Queensland the Department and any other relevant stakeholder to progress the child’s case plan so that the child can be safely returned to their family of origin.
Long Term Placement
Involves caring for children until they reach adulthood (usually 18 years) and are ready to live independently.
Emergency Placement
Emergency carers are carers who are available to provide short-term care at short notice for children who need a place to stay on an urgent basis. Emergency care may be required when a child first comes into care or if they need a home while they transition to longer-term placement. Often, emergency carers are experienced carers who have developed skills in helping children who have experienced abuse and trauma. Some carers may consider becoming emergency carers once they have some experience of foster care.
Respite Care
Just as families need support or time-out on a regular basis or to deal with a serious personal matter, there are times when foster and kinship carers need a break. Respite care can happen through regular, planned visits or can be arranged to enable foster carers or kinship carers to deal with personal matters or recover from illness. Respite care may be for a few hours, a weekend or even a few weeks.